Persuasion
by TheMidnightWhisp
Summary: "So what do you choose girl? Shall you help us willingly, or will Byrne have to... Persuade you?" It's one thing to be kidnapped, and another to be forced to help resurrect Malladus. But is the price of not helping Cole too much for Aife to bare if the consequences are at the hands of Byrne? (A/R) (Updated/Edited) One-Shot. AifeXByrne


**A/N: Yay! It's finally here! ^-^ A few people have been waiting very patiently for this... (Thanks for encouraging me to post it!) You know who you are... ;) Anyway...**

**There is a slight backtrack to explain more in the beginning. (I don't like it, but it's in there anyways.)**

**There are no lemons. A little bam, and there is... (how do I explain this?...) let's just say if you're disgusted in bloody scenes, and torture like themes... Then you better skip this one. (Also why it's rated M...) It is rather sadistic.**  
**Note: I do not write wicked lemon scenes. I've rated this M just to be safe, because it's not for younger viewers and Byrnes a jerk in this one.**

**Oh, and if you have not read my story Demon Tracks, you probably shouldn't read this. There aren't any spoilers in this, it just wouldn't make any sense. It's an alternative reality from the original story line. (Oh, and for all you cheaters who have decided to read this first and ignore the original story, my OC, Aife, is half Lokomo. :P) Dirty cheaters... *grumbles* :3**

**Okay, you've been warned.**

**Disclaimer: Aife and this plot line belongs to me. Everything else belongs to Nintendo. All rights go to respected owners.**

* * *

Cole let out a long exaggerated sigh exposing his sharp knife like teeth. "I'll make you a deal, girl, you help us find these tears of darkness, you keep your life. If you do not, Byrne will force answers out of you, and I doubt you'll want your life much longer after wards." He smiled wickedly and her eyes flickered to Byrne for a second, who gave away nothing of what he felt about that, before returning back to Cole.

'What?!'

"Can't you find them on your own? You have a map. Use it."

"So you do know where they are kept." Byrne observed.

She looked at him, 'Dude. Shut. Up.' her eyes screamed at him. 'Wait... How the hell was he able to figure out- what?... Why would he-? Ugh! Mother blood!' Her mind rambled. "No! I do not. They're hidden away safely in each realm, no one has seen them for centuries..." '... Dammit Aife!'

Cole snickered as he watched them. "Oh, this shall be interesting indeed! So what do you choose girl? Since you are Lokomo you must know how to retrieve them... Shall you help us willingly, or will Byrne have to... Persuade you?"

She wanted to scream, run away, and bash Coles head in. Maybe all at once.

She looked back and forth between them, trying to figure out what to do or say. Their heavy gazes seemed to weigh her down and panic filled her.

"I-... I need some space, to think..." Her head started to spin.

Cole sighed again.

"Fine." He spat. "Byrne, take her back. If you cannot decide what to choose, then I'll choose for you. And I guarantee you won't like it."

She felt the blood from her face drain slightly. Byrne pulled her back down the hallways and other rooms/carts to where she had first woke up.

He pushed her into the last room. "You've got five minutes." He warned her, slamming the door closed.

She didn't hear it lock so she figured he must be standing in front of it. Why he did such didn't make sense to her, it's not like she'd get very far if she tried to get away 'Where are the doors leading outside?' She hadn't seen any while being dragged down the hall back and forth.

She plopped down onto one of the benches feeling... Flustered, which seemed like an understatement. She tried to organize her thoughts... But it hardly helped.

'I can't... I can't help them. No. I won't. Malladus will destroy everything. If they can't resurrect him then Zelda will still be okay, right?' Her heart picked up its pace and she tried to calm herself down.

She slammed her fists against the chair as she closed her eyes and tried to think slowly.

After another minute she made her decision, thinking that it was the only way to be able to have the chance of beating these guys, though it was probably very stupid. She waited there for a few minutes before Byrne came in. He walked over to her and was about to speak.

"I've already made up my mind." She told him, though he didn't look very surprised.

"And?"

She looked him straight in the eye as she spoke, trying to hide the coldness that seeped through her veins.

"I'm not going to help you resurrect the Demon King. If you need the tears so badly, get them yourself. I will not have any part in this."

For a second, a look of surprise flashed over his gaze and he lifted a single eyebrow, but it was quickly covered up with a cold glare.

"Very well. Cole will not be very impressed." He told her cooly.

She glared back and he turned away and left the room.

She plopped herself back down onto the chair and sighed angrily.

'Dammit... What the hell is happening?'

Her hands started to shake violently as she felt the train make a ninety degrees turn. She could hear a faint voices, one sounded furious.

After about ten minutes the train came to a sudden stop and Byrne stomped into the room.

He grabbed her by her forearm and yanked her off her seat.

"Hey!" She yelled at the tight grip on her arm as he dragged her down the hall.

She saw Cole waiting, with an annoyed expression.

"Are you sure you still wish to be uncooperative?" Cole asked.

She glared at him. "Bite me." She snapped.

He squinted his eyes at her and then looked her up and down with a sickening smile.

"Very well... Foolish girl..." He turned to Byrne. "Oh, and Byrne? Do try to keep it amusing for yourself... Make her beg." Cole spat the last part and glanced at Aife one last time before he floated back into the control room.

Byrne nodded obediently, and Aife had to refrain from scoffing at the action.

"Come" The man ordered, gripping Aife's arm as he started to drag her away from the control room entrance.

She tried to pry his fingers off.

"Don't touch me!" She snarled at him, pulling away and taking a step back.

Byrne glared at her and something dark started glowing around his claw.

Aife felt the blood in her face drain completely, and then something slammed against the side of her head with a flick of his wrist.

That's when everything turned black.

* * *

The first thing Aife noticed when she awoke was that something was digging into her wrists, restraining them.

Her head started to throb from being hit with what ever magic Byrne had been using and she slowly opened her eyes and carefully took in her surroundings.

Her wrists and ankles were bound to the chair she was sitting in, which was very hard and uncomfortable. The room around her was pitch black except for a few candles that sat on a nearby desk. She could not see any doors on any of the walls. She slowly took in the sight of the items on the table.

There were some wicked looking knives, daggers, chains, and some rope. All aligned neatly in place. Her eyes widened and she saw something move in the shadows.

She whipped her head over to see Byrne watching her as he casually leaned against a nearby wall.

"So, you're finally awake..." Byrne spoke, the shadows hiding his expression.

'How long was I out for? Wait...'

"You've... Been there the entire time?" Aife pieced together. "Thats kind of creepy, watching a girl while she's knocked out." Aife told him plainly. "And then tying her up! By the gods..."

The man walked up to her. "It appears that you do not understand the gravity of your situation..." He paused a moment as he leaned closer. "Right now..." Byrne grabbed her chin and jerked it towards him so that she was forced to stare into his intense eyes. "I hold your life in my hands." He told her in a husky voice.

She couldn't help the sly smirk that grew on her face, he pulled back and leaned against the table as he glared at her.

"Heh. My life..." She smirked down at her lap. 'Only seventeen years... And I'll probably end up being killed over this...' She shook that thought away and glared up at him. "You think you can scare me with that?" Aife scoffed.

Byrne sighed angrily and brought his hand through his hair.

"It didn't have to come to this at all you know." He told her as he moved towards her, her heart picked up it's pace. "If you only cooperated all of this could have been avoided..."

Aife felt all her emotions in her expression fall as her expression became unreadable. She looked him up and down. 'Hm, maybe I should have thought this through better...' She thought as she realized just how huge he really was. 'Why must he have such giant sexy arms?' She slowly took in his large structure as he carefully took another step. Shadows were cast over his face, making his visible features darker, though his eyes remained an intense bright gold.

She tried to twist her wrists to loosen the bonds, though it did nothing.

He sighed at her silence. "All you have to do is tell us how to find the tears..." He reminded her.

She closed her eyes and shook her head.

"Bring it." She spat at him, looking up. "I'm not telling you shit." She was careful to keep her eyes narrowed and fierce.

He brought his hand through his hair again and took a deep breath. His huge arm muscles flexed and she bit her lip.

"Very well." Was all he said as he took a quick stride towards her and struck her.

The action shocked her and she gasped. She could taste blood in her mouth, and burning in her cheek, and she didn't have any chance to turn back because he moved towards her in a flash and started to push her chair backwards so that it was only leaning on the back two legs, which caused her to yelp.

He stared into her eyes intently, his golden eyes gleaming. He slowly brought his mask down and moved closer to her ear as he spoke.

"Where are the tears located?" His breath trailed along her neck and she shivered.

"I don't know." She told him, keeping her voice in control and removing any shock and fear from her expression. But tears still pricked at her eyes from being slapped.

She tried to pull her ankles out from the ropes that tied them to the chair legs but had no such luck.

He pushed her back farther to the ground and she gasped reflexively.

He let out a sadistic chuckle as he brought his claw up to her throat and she quickly forced herself to appear emotionless. 'Don't let him see your fear.' She told herself. 'He'll only use it against you...'

"Where are they?" He asked again.

"Bugger off." She spat.

He sighed. "Wrong answer." He told her and brought his claw closer to her throat.

He slowly let one of his sharp fingers trail over her neck, making her gasp and her body started to shake as she held back the urge to whimper. A sharp stinging feeling ran across her throat as he removed his hand and brought her chair back to rest on the ground.

Sticky warm blood trailed down to her collar bone, and she bit her lip again.

And yet, she couldn't help the crooked smile that snuck up as she thought about all this for a second, somehow managing to break through her fear for a second. Byrne squinted his eyes at her in annoyance.

"What?" He demanded.

Aife giggled dangerously. "Oh, nothing..." She whipped her hair back defiantly as she spoke. "Just the fact that you think you can break me simply because I am a... 'fragile little girl'. It's cute but... It won't help you." She teased and then realized that that may not have been the best way to deal with this.

Byrne narrowed his eyes and leaned over her, placing his hand on the back of her chair while bringing his face closer to hers. "Must I make you scream?" He asked in a low growl, trying to frighten her.

'Challenge accepted.' She thought and restrained back a childish giggle. 'Oh I am so screwed...' She thought. Immediately afterwards. 'Oh well...'

She shivered inwardly at the thought of that. "I don't know, have you ever made a girl scream out before?" She said in a suggestive voice, being sure to exaggerate certain words to get her point across.

He growled and in a flash, slipped behind her chair while knotting his fingers through her hair, and then yanking back on her scalp, bringing her close to him. She hissed at the sudden pain.

"Let go of me." She snarled.

He brought his head down to her ear.

"I told you I would make you scream." He hissed in her ear, while slicing a deep line across her collar bone with his deathly sharp claw. Aife let out a cry, but managed to restrain her voice until it came out as a strangled whimper through her partially sealed lips. Which turned out to be rather difficult as her eyes enlarged and a sharp stinging pain raced through her collar bone.

Byrne now pressed his mechanical hand against Aife's neck to keep her upper body restrained as she tried to jerk away from him. He chuckled as he traced his thumb over the open wound, making Aife cry out and curse, writhing under his touch as he pressed into the open wound. She winced and closed her eyes as tears pricked at them. Her heart picked up its pace and she was finding it difficult to breathe now.

He moved in front of her, still holding her hair back.

"This can end if you answer my questions..." He reminded her.

She tried hard not to yell at him, and her breathing deepened as she slowly opened her eyes, pain still running through her.

Byrne released her and brought his claw up. He let it trail across her cheek and a slight yelp escaped her lips.

He glared and brought his face closer to hers, moving his large, sharp gauntlet down to her lower throat.

She gasped, and her muscles tensed, feeling burning pricks on her collar bone and cheek from where he had cut her.

"Are you scared?" He whispered.

"No." She quickly got out, trying to keep her expression under control.

"... You should be..." He told her, and let his sharp finger slide ever so slightly over her throat.

Her heart slammed against her chest, pounding in her ears. Tears pricked at her eyes, and she held back a whimper. 'No no no no... I will beat this...' She tried to comfort her mind, but she felt trapped and completely vulnerable now.

"So?" He asked, "Any ideas of where we can find them?" He asked smoothly.

She shook her head, closing her eyes. "Cutting me up isn't going to make me talk." She snapped as she opened her eyes and glared at him.

He sighed and he moved closer to her as he spoke. "Really? Hmm, good to know..." He mused.

'Shit...'

He brought his claw down to her tunic and cut open the front, exposing the top of her breasts. She gasped and tried to pull away as his sharp finger gently traced over her chest in an enticing way, but also in a way that made her cringe. Something cold ran through her veins, and she cringed away from him.

Her eyes widened as yanked down his scarf and brought his face down to her neck and let his tongue trail slowly over the cut on her throat. She let out a gasp and a whimper and tried to pull away as he licked away the blood, his tongue warm and sensual, making her body quiver. 'No!' Her mind screamed.

He pulled back and she glared up at him, feeling her fear turn into rage. The dark sick feeling in her stomach fueled her anger, and she wanted desperately to break free of her bonds so that she could kick his ass.

"Prick." She muttered.

He slapped her across the face and she spat out blood and groaned, but managed to let out a weak laugh.

"Really? Why do you bother? You're going to lose." She told him, trying to ignore the burning in her cheek.

He turned towards the table, ignoring her.

"Hey! Why are you such an ass?" She asked.

He snarled and whipped towards her, kicking the leg of the chair, which knocked it over on its side so that she hit the floor, hard.

She cried out at the pain that shot through her head, throbbing as things grew blurry, and she felt something warm grow around her head.

"Ugh... Jerk..." Something in the back if her mind screamed at her to stop talking.

He moved towards her and flung her chair back upwards, and her head started to spin as white sparks danced across her vision. She winced and the throbbing in her head only grew. She looked up at him, blood trickling down the side of her face.

He stared at her for a moment and she glared back with enough hatred to kill.

"I'm not going to tell you where they are. So give up. There's nothing you can do that can change my mind." She told him, holding her chin high.

He slapped her again and she coughed out some more blood and groaned, her cheeks were burning now and she knew she would be getting some wicked bruises there.

He cocked his head at her and something dark danced across his eyes. "Hmm," He mused.

He slowly moved closer, and brought his gauntlet up to her shoulder.

She gasped as she felt it slide across her tunic, and her shoulder strap fell, exposing her naked shoulder.

Her eyes widened and they snapped back to him as she glared.

He looked to her other shoulder and dragged his claw slowly across that one as well.

She jerked away at his touch, and she bit her lip to suppress a whimper at the sharp pain.

He moved back and glanced at her bare shoulders with slight red lines across each if them. An amused look passed over him as the majority of her chest was now exposed.

Then she realized something, 'Magic! Use your fucking magic!' Her mind screamed at her.

She tried to control her breathing and concentrate but Byrne was being to distracting.

He gentle caressed her cheek with the back of his hand, and he moved around behind her and trailed his hand sensually over her bare shoulders and back, making shivers run along her spine as her breath caught in her throat.

"Such a shame..." He murmured.

She could start to feel something warm and pulsing growing in her palms and she smiled slightly.

'Okay... Distract him.' Her mind ordered.

"And what is that?" She asked, whipping her hair behind her shoulders with a quick flip of her head, which only made her head throb louder.

"That things had to come to this... Such a waste..." He shook his head as he moved in front of her and gripped her neck.

He squeezed it and glared.

"Talk." He demanded.

'Kind of hard to do that when you're choking me!'

"No." She choked out.

"Hm." He leaned in closer.

He brought his hand to her hip and allowed his other hand to trail along her collar bone, her chest, her waist and then down to her hip. Her breath hitched and she bit her lip, loathing how his hand sent shivers along her skin.

She did not like being touched. Especially when her own body betrayed her by inwardly trembling at his touch. A wimper escaped her lips and she cursed herself as she tried to pull away from him.

He chuckled sadistically.

"Does this bother you?" He asked in a fake sweet voice as his hand trailed down to her thigh, and then back to her waist in a slow, teasing manner, making shivers rush all around her skin.

She felt her breath catch and she jerked away from him and tried to shake off his hands. While trying to ignore the trembling in her legs.

He smirked slightly and moved in closer, he brought his mouth to brush it lightly over her own, and in a flash he bit her lower lip, hard.

She gasped and yanked herself back, tasting blood. 'Bastard!'

He moved in closer, his lips dominating her own, and his tongue snaked out slightly. When it was denied further access, he forced it in to explore more of her mouth, making her body shake furiously at how helpless she felt, his mouth completely dominating her own. His lips pushed back and forth on her own, trying to get a reaction out of her and to create some more tension between them. He pried open her mouth and then allowed his lips to trail down her neck, she let out a whimper as he moved further down.

"Stop it." She choked out.

But he ignored her and nibbled her collar bone and she gasped and tried to pull away. His mouth left a trail of fire along her skin, and her entire body trembled. He allowed his claw to trail along her throat, just enough so that a thin stream of red spilled down. Byrne pulled back slightly and gazed at her with something like a satisfied expression.

She could feel her palms grow cold and she cursed herself and tried to concentrate on the spell.

Byrne moved his hands so that the encircled her wrists, and he moved in closer, grinding against her purposefully.

She gasped and held back another scream so that it sounded like a muffled cry as she tried to pull her head back from him.

"So this is how I can get you to scream..." He mused softly in a husky low voice, his golden eyes filled with a sort of cold, sick lust that she tried very hard to avoid.

His claw tightened around her wrist and she bit her lip, but a noise of pain escaped her lips before she could hold it back. She didn't have to see that her wrist would have a fresh bloodied cut from where his gauntlet was gripping her. She closed her eyes at the pain and felt tears build up at all her emotions being toyed with. He let his tongue trail up the fresh cut along her neck, taking in the new blood that poured out. She flinched and jerked away reflectively from him.

"Just answer my question..." He reminded her, as he reached her lower jaw.

She gritted her teeth and bit her lip until blood dribbled down her trembling lip to her chin. The pain of that sent a wave of cold fear to fill her veins, making her wince. But her magic was growing in her palms now, filling her with a familiar warmth.

"No." She choked out in a weak voice.

He growled and opened his mouth to speak again but that was also when she felt her magic grow in her palms and then explode.

There was a loud pang as Byrne was flung away from her and her bonds were burned away, the chair moved as her magic forced it away.

She stood up shakily and was about to make some smart comment when something hit her.

She landed against the wall with an oof and she groaned and re-opened her eyes to see Byrne pinning her against the wall.

His hands pinned her wrists over her head and he glared at her. His hips held her own against the wall and his chest brushed against her own as they both breathed heavily.

She struggled under his grip and he pressed his body closer into hers, his hips and arms grinding into her own.

He moved his head closer so that his lips brushed against her ear.

"Are you more comfortable like this?" He hissed harshly.

She snarled and tried to push him away, but to no avail.

He slammed her wrists against the wall. "Tell me!" He yelled at her.

She felt tears stream down her face at the searing hot pain that shot through her arms, her wrists hurting like hell now.

"Fuck you!" She screamed.

He growled and whipped her body around so that she was facing the wall, and he pressed himself even closer to her.

"Speak." He whispered angrily into her ear, pressing himself closer to her.

She shook her head, and he growled.

His large arms pressed closer into her own, one of his hands moved to her chin and held it firmly as he let his tongue trail up her ear in a sickening, angry way, but in a way that also made her back arch.

"No..." She moaned.

He chuckled darkly.

She struggled underneath him and she tried to break her wrists free but nothing worked.

He kept her arms pinned above her head with his one hand, and allowed his free hand to trail down to her side.

She took a quick intake of breath and then cursed herself.

"Let go!" She yelled.

He pulled back slightly. "No." He told her and moved to her neck. He pulled his hand back and gripped her wrists even tighter over her head with both of his hands now.

He kissed the side of her throat and his tongue snaked out to trail along her vein that fluttered wildly as cold fear flooded through her. He trailed his tongue along her skin and she whimpered as her back arched.

"Stop..." She choked out. 'Just stop it you bastard!' Her mind screamed over and over.

He ignored her and bit her neck, making her cry out at the pain.

"Stop it!" She shrieked.

She felt his one arm move down and then something sharp slid across the small of her back and she cried out at the sharp pain that soon followed.

Her entire body trembled as she started to cry.

"Just tell me. Then this will be over." He said.

She shook her head, closing her eyes, her breaths came out in quick and ragged gasps. 'I will not break, not after all this.' She reminded herself.

"What can you possible gain from all this?" She whispered, she turned to him and glared. "Malladus will destroy everything. Then what? Tell me, what will you do next? Once you have everything, what will you do?"

He froze and stared at her for a moment.

"What?!" She shrieked. "What will you do next, Byrne?!" She questioned angrily, but something about this made her sad as well.

Something flashed in Byrne's eyes, but they reverted back to their cold luster before she could figure out what she'd seen. But it hardly mattered now.

He tightened his grip around her wrists and pulled them even higher then what was even possible, she let out a cry at the pain of her arms being pulled too far, as though they would pop out of their sockets. She turned her head away from him from the strain in her arms.

"Really? You have..." She gasped from the pain in her shoulders. "... Nothing to say to that?" She chocked out, her nose pressed against the cool stone wall.

"Shut up." He growled.

He pulled his clawed hand back while he held her arms up with his other hand. He let his sharp claw trail up her spine, and then over her arm, just enough to poke through her tunic, puncture the skin, and a bit of the muscles.

She screamed.

She couldn't hold it back anymore. The pain from his claw trailing over her back, her strained arms, and his body pressed too close against her own was unbearable. His knife like claw dug into her skin and she arched her back away from him as tears streamed down her cheeks and she screamed pathetically at the agony.

"STOP!" She screamed.

"Tell me." He growled at her as he moved his clawed finger over to trail it up her other arm.

"Just stop it!" She sobbed, her body shook uncontrollably. "Byrne, stop it!"

She continued crying and sobbing until she felt his hands loosen around her wrists, his claw pulling away from her skin. She was breathing hard now, gasping for more air with shaky, ragged breaths broken by sobs and gasps as he released her. She pulled her sore arms into her chest.

She turned her head to glance at him, she could barely see from her messed up hair and from all the blood trailing along her face. Her body continued to shake from the pain and the sickening pleasure he gained from all this. She growled at her body for being so weak. Especially in front of him.

In a flash kicked his groan with all of her strength, all her frozen fear turning into boiling rage.

His eyes widened in surprise and he groaned as he fell to his knees.

She quickly raced around him and grabbed two of the longer looking knives and searched around for a door.

But there was nothing.

Byrne stood and glared at her.

"Big mistake." He growled as he stalked towards her.

She glared back and raised her blades.

'Round two with Byrne...' But her body desperately wanted to fall to the ground and stay there.

He quickly whipped his claw at her, she blocked and she pushed his clawed hand back with the little strength she possessed. Her arms and legs shaking. And she just barely managed to push his claw back.

She looked behind him to see a dark door across the room.

'Uhhh, why is it way over there?'

She sighed, and then an idea came to mind.

Byrne advanced again and she dropped her blades and threw her hands up in defense.

"Stop! Just- just stop!" She sobbed out. "Byrne..." She whispered. "... Please stop. I'm done... Just stop..."

He paused a moment then moved towards her.

She backed away and stared wildly at him.

"I don't believe you." He growled.

She smiled slightly.

"Smart boy." She mused. 'Oh well... There goes that idea...'

She quickly shot out a mind blast that pushed him back as he staggered a moment. She felt her own head spin for a second, but she pushed it back and ran.

She raced past him and flung open the door and scurried out.

She raced down the dark hall, panting and wincing at all the sharp pains that jabbed in her.

She heard something crash behind her and she pumped her legs faster and made a turn to the left, feeling as though she could collapse at any second.

She continued racing around for a while, finding no rooms she could hide in.

Eventually she ran into a dead end and her blood grew cold, falling from her face in pure fear.

"Dammit!" She hissed, feeling dizzy.

She felt her legs tremble and she crumbled to the floor. Her heart was slamming in her chest and she was finding it very difficult to breathe as her lungs begged for more air.

She tried to stand up but her legs gave out, she brought herself on her knees and leaned up against the wall, but even that was excruciating. She gasped for more air and when it was denied, she started to choke and cough.

That's when she heard footsteps down the hall.

She tried to stop herself from breathing/chocking so loudly but her lungs demanded more air. She winced at how much her body ached and she whimpered as the pain in her back grew.

She watched as the world around her grow dark as Byrne slowly walked towards her.

* * *

**\/\/\ Byrnes POV /\/\/**

Byrne slowly walked towards the girl that leaned weakly against the wall. She fell forward and her arms tried to keep her up for a bit longer, but they too gave up on her.

Byrne sighed angrily and grabbed her by the arm forcefully.

When she didn't awake screaming, he picked her up with both of his arms so that she was off the floor, and cradled into his chest. Her body was limp, and light, making it easy for him to scoop her up. And she was covered in blood, lots of blood.

"Foolish girl... This is your own fault. If you had just told us... None of this would have happened." He growled at the unconscious, girl in his arms.

He growled to himself and then cursed.

He moved them into a new room, one that was much larger then the last.

He set her down on the cool marble floor beside a large pillar that stood in the middle of the room.

He saw the large and bleeding gash on her back and sighed angrily. The bleeding was slowly from her own magic, but it still looked bad. He moved a loose part of her tunic from the back to wipe the wound with gently. He was able to clear most of the blood though it would not heal quite yet. But at least the bleeding was visible slowing now.

Byrne took a deep breath and then got to work.

He quickly bound her arms and legs together and then tied her to the pole, not wanting to make the same mistake of misjudging how powerful her magic was. He took a step back and stared at her.

Her chest rose slowly and fell with every ragged breath she took, blood trickled down her partially exposed chest, her blood matted hair covered most of her face, and her lips were dried and cracked from his own abusive ones.

He moved closer to her and crouched down. He carefully moved the hair in front of her face behind her ear, exposing the cut on her cheek, head, and the bruises that were forming on her cheeks as well.

"What is wrong with you? Any other smart person would have just told us right away... Why must you be different?" He asked the unconscious girl.

She was much stronger than the other weakling humans, that was for sure. But she still had the same weak emotions as them, he saw it in her eyes when he got a little more... personal. Her gasps and whimpers sent shivers along his spine and he had to restrain himself from losing control completely with her, lest he ruin any chance he had with gaining information.

Though he doubted he would gain any. Stubborn, foolish girl.

Cole thought the same, for the most part the Chancellor just wanted her to regret her decision of being stubborn. Byrne knew that Cole would still continue with the ritual while he was busy with her, and when they were finished, so would she be.

That is, if she remained stubborn.

Byrne stroked her cheek with the back of his hand and frowned at how soft her skin was, and how innocent she seemed while she was unconscious.

Perhaps he would need a different tactic with her...

* * *

**/ Aifes POV \\\**

Aife woke up and the first thing she noticed was how cold the room was.

She hissed at the coldness that pressed against her exposed back, and a whimper escaped her lips as she shifted, feeling her partially open wound on her back stick slightly to the cold pole. Her lips felt dry and when she licked them she could taste the cracks and blood on them.

She was chained to a very cold pillar, her wrists were tied behind her back and her ankles were tied together, all while a large chain tied around her waist against the pillar.

She tried to sit up, or at least stand, but the chain only dug deeper into her skin and she let out a gasp at the pain that shot through her.

She plopped back onto the ground and sighed.

She could feel the sickening stickiness of blood that had dried up after trailing down her chest, and she could smell it everywhere. Her arms were incredible sore, and having them chained up behind her didn't help at all. Her stomach was shaky too, and she felt sick.

She wanted to scream, cry, and get away from this place but she didn't want to scream out in the dark... Not when he could be here...

That's when she heard a door open and close and footsteps approached her.

She closed her eyes tightly and tried to control her breathing. Her bloodied hair fell foreword, hiding her expression.

The cool air caressed her exposed skin, and she shuddered.

She wasn't sure if she could handle any more physical abuse. Her body was shaking so badly now and she wanted so desperately to hide away in a corner. She had never, ever been hit before, let alone cut up like this. And she cursed herself for feeling so weak, almost broken in a way.

She looked up slowly to see Byrne standing in front of her with his arms crossed. She quickly covered up her fear with a sly smile that played on her lips.

"Nice pillar." She muttered. "Tell me... Do you tie up all of the girls you meet here? Or am I the lucky one?"

"No... You're just lucky." He told her.

"Hmph. Figures... So now what? Back for more answers? Or are we playing a different game?" She asked.

He crouched down beside her.

"Do you consider this to be a game?"

"Oh, of course." She said, whipping her hair back defiantly. "I'm the naughty prisoner and you're the sexy torturer..." She rolled her eyes as she spoke. 'But for whatever reason this isn't as fun...'

"Do you always treat things as a joke?" He questioned.

She didn't answer and she looked down at her lap as silence filled the room. She didn't know what to say to that and she was too tired to think of any smart remarks.

She sighed angrily after a minute and looked away to the side. Not wanting to meet his intense gaze.

"Well, get on with it." She told him. "Suspense is lovely but I'm not really up for that kind of thing."

He cocked his head at her, something strange passed over his gaze, and then he held up a wooden cup.

She frowned at it.

"Drink." He commanded.

He brought it closer to her lips and she was about to refuse, already pulling back, when he spoke again.

"It's water." He told her plainly.

She frowned and parted her lips so that the cool liquid could enter, thinking that he would probably force it down if she refused.

It was water... And her dried lips and throat welcomed it eagerly.

She pulled back when she finished, though her tongue was still dry, screaming for more. But her stomach felt slightly less shaky now.

"... Thanks." She muttered.

He sighed angrily and grabbed her chin to turn it towards him.

"Are you going to talk now?"

She bit her lip, closed her eyes, and shook her head. Her blood turned cold and her tired body wanted to fall on the floor and sleep there forever.

He sighed again.

She opened her eyes as he released her and stood, though he didn't make any move to hurt her. He actually started to move away...

"What? Is that it?" She questioned. 'Idiot!' Her mind shrieked.

He stared at her for a moment then bent down towards her.

He brought his face right up to hers, his golden eyes intense and gaurded. She froze, her muscles grew tense, waiting for him to strike her or something...

He leaned in a bit closer and...

Kissed her.

Though this kiss was different from the others, this one wasn't out of anger, or trying to force answers out of her. It was just a kiss, and blood rushed to her cheeks as she gasped.

He slowly pried her mouth open and she felt shivers run along her skin. His lips were warm as they gently caressed over her cracked and bloodied lips in a comforting way. Her body trembled, betraying her as she felt herself kissing him back, and she mentally cursed herself for it. 'Stop kissing the enemy!' Her mind yelled.

He continued tugging at her lips for a minute longer, keeping the pace the same, not too fast to make it more passionate or too slow to make it more sensual. He just pried her lips open and leaned in closer, making shivers run along her spine at his warmth. He leaned in closer and his hand pushed back some of her hair that fell in front of her face. Something about this almost felt familiar...

But then he pulled back, leaving her breathless and confused.

He stood and glanced down at her.

"... That's enough for today." He murmured and turned around and started to leave before she could see what his expression held.

She stared breathlessly after him, blinking hard.

She frowned after he locked the door, the click echoing through the room. 'What just happened? Did he just-? No...'

She tried to push it out of her mind, making up excuses that he was only going to use her silly emotions against her... But all she could feel was his warm lips gently caressing her own... Aife bowed her head and felt tears start to trail down her cheeks, mixing in with the dried up blood, which carelessly fell onto the cold stone floor in little pricks.

Byrne was a very strange man.

And she was doomed.

* * *

**A/N: Ha! End!**

**This one was for the darling: ArtificialRangerLiuria**

**Who did a fabulous job of helping me out with a lot of the dialogue and the like in the first scene...**  
**;) Thanks hun'! I hope you enjoyed it! Really, I had so much fun writing this with you! *hug***

**Hmm... My writings won't normally consist of these types of... Things... (I honestly don't really see Byrne doing that kind of thing well... maybe.. but, *shrugs* it was still fun to write none the less.^^) ... Yeah, I really enjoyed writing this...**

**I had this thought, when I first started writing my DT story... It was this strange image of Aife being interrogated and the like... (I think it was with Ghirahim...) And then when ArtificialRangerLiuria mentioned something about the original scene... then I just had to write something about it... ^^**

**... You know, I'm happy with the way this turned out... Maybe the beginning could use some more work, but, I'm really happy with how the end came out... ^-^**

**Aife: *death glare* I hate ALL of you.**

**Whisp: *hug* No you don't! *drags screaming OC away***  
**... I mean come on, Aife... Sexy torture time with Byrne? The guy with the stupid giant chest muscles and arms? Admit it. You enjoyed it... :)**

**Aife: *blushes* ... No.**

**Whisp: ;) Well how about you, Byrne?**

**Byrne: *Is being silenced by Aifes death glare***

**^-^' oh well...**

**Alrighty... Fare you well. I'm off to go think about what a terrible OC mother I am... T_T**

**-TheMidnightWhisp**


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